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LOT 1133
Byzantine Bronze Reliquary Cross Mount
9TH-12TH CENTURY A.D.
1 3/8 in. (12.5 grams, 34 mm).
Cruciform in plan and D-shaped in section with incised lines across the vertical arms, one T-shaped finial remaining; attachment lugs to reverse. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx Den of Antiquity, Cambridge, UK.
From the private collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the early 2000s.
Accompanied by a typed dealer's ticket.
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AUCTIONS:
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Byzantine Bronze Cross Pendant
10th-12th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £104
Expanding arm cross with a low-relief Maltese cross at the centre. 8.27 grams, 52 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Byzantine Bronze Reliquary Cross Pendant Plate
Circa 6th-7th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Enkolpion panel with hinge knuckles; low-relief robed figure in orans pose. 20 grams, 63 mm
Ex C.J.Martin, UK. From the private collection of a West London, UK, gentleman, formed since the early 2000s. Accompanied by a handwritten ticket. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £50
Ovoid in profile with linear decoration; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 805 grams, 13 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s onwards. Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (μεσαίον kακάβιον) 9th-11th century AD'.
Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form.
